The City of Angels

All my life, I've always lived just outside Los Angeles. I was always about a 20-minute drive to the downtown area (which is what's usually portrayed in media). As a child, I went reluctantly - my parents would buy fancy perfumes/colognes/jewelry and sell them in the small towns we lived by. As a kid, I wasn't so aware of what was around me. I was often bored since I couldn't go off and explore and such (such is life of a kid in the 90's). As an adult, I made a string of excuses as to why I didn't visit the city - "I don't know how to get there; It's too far; I don't have any time/money; I have no reason to go..." Well, you get the idea. 

In another class (different from the one with the pretty lady), I was tasked to visit the downtown area: to survey the land (and how the land is used) and to take note of some of the history of LA and some of the currently existing landmarks in the city (I learned that some were demolished for more modern buildings). So, I had to go (this assignment is worth about 10% of my total grade! It's one of the bigger ones). 

So let me give you the TL;DR version of my trip (Too Long; Didn't Read - you can thank Reddit for that):

1) Everything's pretty packed together - you can see just about everything that's in LA in about 3-4 hours. Now exploring Los Angeles...that's a lifetime.

2) John Parkinson - the influential architect that helped shaped Los Angeles to be the magnificent metropolis that it is today. 

3) It's pretty awesome and interesting how we can just walk inside some of the buildings (like the Bradbury Building and Biltmore Hotel), but others are closed off to the public.

 Finally, here are some photos that I took  throughout my walk in Los Angeles:

My Social Experiment: Day 0 (Nervous)

Before I begin what I set off to do, I feel like I should type down my thoughts as to how I feel. First off, I'm nervous. I have approximately 230 friends listed on Facebook: 50% that were added randomly these past few months, about 30% that I know by association, 15% that I don't even communicate with anymore, and the remaining 5% are people that I do communicate with. Only the 5% will be excluded (since there is no point in reconnecting with them when I already do communicate with them). SO...yeah, many will be complete and total strangers. Second, I'm pretty there are a several that are either married, or at least in a very serious relationship, so I can anticipate a lack of response (but hopefully a polite decline?) from these people. 

So yes, I can say that I'm nervous: who will respond? Who will actually want to participate? Can I maintain communication with approximately 150 people (that's the amount of people I'm hoping to interact with)? Can I even initiate some sort of dialogue to begin with (after I post the initial question)? 

I hope to seek some answers soon.

Connecting With Others

I've been glancing at my so-called "Facebook Friends List" and think to myself, What do I really know about these people? How can I begin to know them personally? The answers to these questions still elude me, but I'll come up with a solution of sorts. My gears of my mind are currently at work, devising a plan to effectively come up with an answer to sorts. If this all plays out, this might be the social experiment of my life!...thus far. I'm sure I'll be devising grander social experiments in the future of my life. 

Been A While...

...Since I last posted here. School, work and "Rachel" (the other girl I started seeing) have been my focuses in life lately, and at times, I simply want to shut down for the purpose of reflecting my life in recent weeks. So, in reflection (but mostly because there are things I said I would talk about), here are the topics of discussion for the following blog posts: 

• My first experiences as a drunk
• Ophelia (my Teggy) being kidnapped
• Why listening to Coldplay doesn't make you gay
• Finally, "Rachel" and how I found her

So, there you have it. Four tales of my convoluted life story (albeit a good one).

P.S. Does anybody read these? Or am I this digital madman, crying futilely to the perceived skies above me? I know you at least visit (the stats don't lie, so ha!), so say hello and leave a comment (just don't say I'm gay for listening to Coldplay)! Until next time!